[MD] Flying Spagetti Monsters

[Gene M]

But you Do believe. Everything is based off belief. It's the ground stuff of
Reality, what we build everything off of. You believe you're right for
example. You believe your own perceptions. That's a pretty sensical belief,
but as shown by a few simple thought experiments, hardly rock solid.  You
have faith in all sorts of things you "know". Knowledge is an impossibility,
there are just degrees of belief. When we believe something beyond a
reasonable doubt we say we "know" it. As if all things were Static.

You don't need a faith, just some faith. Suspense of disbelief is one of the
most powerful tools in the world.

I'm asking you to step Away from logic. Logic is cool and all, I know, I
like it too. But it's not all there is. There's intuition, and empathy, and
aestetique. If I know what conclusion I want to get to, I can make nice
comfortable assumptions and then logically build my way To those
conclusions. However anyone can do that, for any conclusion!! Logic is
useful, but it doesn't tell us what is true. It only gives us a way to close
doors to other ideas, and convince ourselves we have it right and can stop
thinking.

I agree, it's interesting! But limiting. Without holes, how is Dynamic
Quality supposed to get in?

I can see your box, and I honestly appreciate it. It's beautifully
constructed, and nigh indestructible. I can't attack it, I can't destroy it,
I can only ask of you to let it go. It's a nice box, but there are so Many
other boxes to see!

"While the Tathagata, in his teaching, constantly makes use of conceptions
and ideas about them, disciples should keep in mind the unreality of all
such conceptions and ideas. They should recall that the Tathagata, in making
use of them in explaining the Dharma always uses them in the semblance of a
raft that is of use only to cross a river. As the raft is of no further use
after the river is crossed, it should be discarded. So these arbitrary
conceptions of things and about things should be wholly given up as one
attains enlightenment." -Buddha

Throw away the raft.

-Gene

On 10/13/06, Micah <micah at roarkplumbing.com> wrote:
>
> Gene,
>
> Your point is that you "believe". And I agree that you believe. Religious
> people believe a god exists and secular people believe reality exists
> independent of humans. Neither position can be shown to be true, they are
> acts of faith. I don't have a faith.
>
> You are asking me to have a faith and step into one of the two accepted
> faith boxes above. We all know the territory there, and they're dead ends.
> I'm asking you to use logic in deconstructing the nature of reality...and
> then to use logic to reconstruct the nature of reality. I'm building a new
> box. Pirsig says "when on the horns of a dilemma, take the third option".
>
> The box I'm building is, at the very least, interesting. The other boxes
> have holes in them, and I don't like drafts.
>
>
> Micah
>